What lies ahead for technology in 2016?” I asked myself the other day and decided to write some thoughts down around 4 main interests. Guessing it is probably easier at looking what happened during the last year, and with some “wishful thinking“emphasize the general pattern for 2016.

1. Blockchain concepts got more attention than bitcoin, but (for now) still joined at the hip

Internet of Things

2. Apple is doomed – long live Apple

  • As when the iPad was first mentioned, the same sneers was again directed at the watch, yet Apple has effectively set a new standard for personal devices
  • Question: Apple seems to be “future proofing / preparing” the iPhone (6s, not a 7?), the watch and bigger tablet in conjunction with Apple Pay, HealthKit, HomeKit and CarKit (consolidated under an open Swift environment)13Mashable Apple Guide to Kits (http://mashable.com/2015/06/09/apple-developer-kits/#yhLLhU17UqqS), begging the question: where is Apple “boldly” taking us tomorrow?
  • Is the AppleTV AppStore a sign of consolidation or a push for a yet-to-be-realized future roadmap?14MacRumors AppleTV Roundup (http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/apple-tv/)

3. IoT (Internet of Things) are shaking the tree, and the fruit is starting to show (and fall)

4. The internet is forced to grow up – encryption, security, availability (reliability) and open technologies sets the pace

Future Dreams

In four broad brush strokes the “impossible dreams” for 2016 might be fulfilled:

  1. The blockchain and bitcoin becomes the foundation for micro-services and micro-transactions to address hard-to-fix problems
  2. Apple sets the roadmap how enterprise delivers and manage secure technology and enables everybody to profit / benefit by building on-top of it
  3. IoT grows up by standardizing (communication / interaction) and delivers a flood of micro (web) services, and someone creates an AppStore for that
  4. And by year end all parties realized and agree that a “mature” internet will benefit commerce and governments, providing secure reliable web services

What a beautiful world“…

References

References
1Blockchain definition by BitcoinWiki (https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Block_chain)
2”bitcoin” definition by Bitcoin Wiki (https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Bitcoin)
3R3 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R3_(company))
4Global Landscape of Blockchain Companies in Financial Services (http://startupmanagement.org/2015/12/08/update-to-the-global-landscape-of-blockchain-companies-in-financial-services/)
5Read the Coindesk Report 2015 (http://www.coindesk.com/coindesks-report-on-banking-and-the-blockchain-now-available/)
6Reddit on Sidechains and Colored Coins (https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/2pxy7a/eli5_whats_the_difference_between_sidechains_and/)
7Gendal on Sidechains + see comments (http://gendal.me/2014/10/26/a-simple-explanation-of-bitcoin-sidechains/)
8Investopedia on Bitcoin 2.0 (http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/042015/bitcoin-20-applications.asp)
9See William Mougayar on TCP/IP (http://startupmanagement.org/2015/01/13/the-crypto-tech-platforms-landscape-via-a-network-effects-lens/)
10Microtransactions OFF-chain vs ON-chain (https://medium.com/blockcypher-blog/why-can-t-i-send-1-over-the-internet-c90d2773fd9a#.97q3a7r9y)
11You Can Now Send Micro-Transactions With Zero Fees (https://blog.coinbase.com/2013/08/06/you-can-now-send-micro-transactions-with-zero-fees/)
12Microservices (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microservices)
13Mashable Apple Guide to Kits (http://mashable.com/2015/06/09/apple-developer-kits/#yhLLhU17UqqS)
14MacRumors AppleTV Roundup (http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/apple-tv/)
15Goldman-Sachs on Internet of Things Infographic (http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/pages/internet-of-things/)
16IBM Center for Applied Insights (http://ibmcai.com/2015/01/27/twenty-internet-of-things-trends-to-watch-in-2015/)
17KickStarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/)
18Indiegogo (https://www.indiegogo.com/)
19Anglelist (https://angel.co/)
20Y-Combinator (https://www.ycombinator.com/)
21Microsoft Internet of Things and Azure (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/internet-of-things/default.aspx)
22Microsoft IoT of Your Things (https://dev.windows.com/en-us/iot)
23Microsoft and Ethereum (https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/ethereum-blockchain-as-a-service-now-on-azure/)
24US and UK Government Spying (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/05/nsa-gchq-encryption-codes-security)
25Apple’s Tim Cook on Encryption and Privacy (http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/02/apples-tim-cook-delivers-blistering-speech-on-encryption-privacy/#.mdlfktm:kVGu)
26TechCrunch Who will secure the IoT (http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/02/who-will-step-up-to-secure-the-internet-of-things/)
27Coindesk: The Promise of Bitcoin Micropayments (http://www.coindesk.com/promise-bitcoin-micropayments-corporations-incentives-altcoins/)
28IBM Blockchain-Power IoT (http://www.coindesk.com/ibm-reveals-proof-concept-blockchain-powered-internet-things/)